Page 67 of Stay With Me

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“Sammie?” Nick called into the suspiciously silent apartment. She typically had dinner going by the time he arrived home from work, but the whole place was immaculate and void of any sign that she’d been in the kitchen at all.

He tucked his little surprise under his arm as he approached the bedroom. The bed was unmade, with blankets and sheets tossed around, and her work clothes were strewn on the floor.

“Sammie?”

He stepped over the mess of clothes and peeked into the bathroom, only to find her bent over at the waist, vomiting into the toilet.

He hurriedly set the surprise down on the nightstand, and then darted into the bathroom to hold back her hair. Once she was finished, he ushered her to lie down on the bed and placed a damp washcloth around the back of her neck.

“I don’t know how much longer I can take this,” she muttered.

He furrowed his brow. “How long have you been feeling bad?”

She shook her head and shrugged.

“Can I get you anything?” he asked, placing the back of his hand on her forehead. No fever. Probably just a stomach bug.

She gestured at the nightstand, where a package of saltines lay spilling out next to a glass of water. “That’s all I need.” She paused and smiled at him. “That and you.”

He leaned forward to kiss her head. She’d been in a better mood with him lately, which was a huge relief after a terrifying few weeks of wondering if their marriage was still intact.

“Well, in that case,” he began. “I got you a little surprise. Want to see it?”

She crinkled her nose at him as she grinned. “I love surprises.”

He patted her leg as he reached across to pick up the framed photo off the nightstand and set it in her hands.

“Ohhh, great pic! The bridge and downtown. I love it. Who took it?”

He smiled. “I did.”

“Wow! This is awesome, honey. I’m going to put it on my desk. Thank you.”

“You like this view?”

“It’s my two favorite things in the city.”

He tilted his head coyly. “What do you think about being able to look at this in the evenings over a glass of wine?”

“Sounds terribly romantic.”

“So let’s do it,” he suggested as casually as possible.

“Do what?”

“Let’s look at this view every evening for the rest of our lives.”

She squinted at him. “What do you mean?”

He tapped the frame. “This is going to be our living room.”

“What do you mean?”

He shrugged. “It’s time to get out of this apartment.”

She gaped at him. “Are you freaking serious?”